GR  8J7 


Duke  University  Libraries 

Report  on  vesse 
Conf  Pam  #315 


OF  VESSELS  SUNK  AND  BURNT 

IN    THE    PAMUNKBY   KIVER, 

1!Y   CAPTAIN    CHAS.  S.   CAKRINGTOV.  A.  Q.  M., 

UNDER   THE   0RDKB3   <>? 

GENERAL  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON  AND  OTHERS. 


CONFEDEBATF,    StATF.S    OF    AmERICA,  i 

Dcpirrt merit,  of  Justice,      \ 
'   Richmond,  March  10,  1863.  ) 

To  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States: 

The  paper  hereto  attached,  raarked  exhibit  A,  contains  a  li.st  of 
vessels  which  were  seized  by  order  of  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston, 
and  used  to  transport  provisions  whilst  the  array  was  at  Yorktowu. 
and,  subr'equentlv,  when  the  army  fell  back  towards  Richmond,  they 
were  either  sunk''in  the  Paraunkey  river,  to  obstruct  it,  or  were  burnt 
to  prevent  them  from  fallin;,'  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  It  con- 
tains, also,  the  names  of  the  several  owners  of  the  vessels,  when 
known,  together  with  the  valuation  of  each  vessel  and  the  names  of 
the  persons  who  valued  them.  There  is  appended  to  it  a  copy  of  the 
certificate  of  Charles  S.  Carrington,  Major  and  Quartermaster. 

Under  the  general  principles  announced  in  ray  opinion  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  War.  on  the  17th  of  October,  1SG2,  the  government  ij 
responsible  to  the  owners  of  the  vessels  for  their  reasonable  value.  1 
allow  the  claims,  therefore,  except  in  those  cases  where  the  owners 
are  unknown,  or  their  christian  names  are  not  given,  or  the  value  is 
not  fixed,  vi/.:  Marv  Elizabeth,  Hannah  Ann,  Planter,  Reliance, 
StarliTht.J.  R,  P>avlis'',  owner;^  of  which  are  unknown;  and  Palestine, 
an  urmamed  vessel,  and  California,  owned  respectively  by  Thomas 
Cloyd  and  Blassingham,  whoso  christian  names  are  not  given;  and. 
tho'T.  &G.  Fair,  Mary  Layster,  R.  P.  Wallar,  Way,  Little  Addio. 
Mira'^e  and  Mary  Alice,  which  are  without  valuation,  ajid  are  not 
exclullcd  bv  reason  of  their  beir.g  in  either  of    the  other  two   classes  . 

T.  H.  WATTS, 
Attorney  General. 


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The  above  named  vessels  were  employed  by  the  government  during 
the  occupation  of  the  Peninsula  by  the  army  of  the  Confederate 
States,  and  on  its  evacuation  were  filled  with  stores  belonging  to  the 
government,  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  commanding,  etc.,  ordered 
me  to  send  these  vessels  up  the  Tamukey  river,  and  after  discharging 
their  cargoes  at  the  White  House,  and  filling  a  portion  of  them  with 
sand  and  stone,  to  sink  the  same  in  the  channel  of  this  stream  in  such 
a  way  as  to  obstruct  the  passage  of  the  gun  boats  of  the  enemy.  He 
also  ordered  that  a  portion  of  these  vessels  should  be  sunk  in  the 
draw  of  the  bridge  at  the  White  House,  and  again,  that  further  efforts 
should  be  made  by  me  to  obstruct  the  Pamunkey  river  above  the 
White  House,  by  sinking  another  portion  of  these  vessels,  and  if 
necessary  to  prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  that 
they  should  be  destroyed.  The  vessels  were  sunk  at  "  Cook's  Island," 
in  obedience  to  the  first  named  order.  This  obstruction  delayed  the 
approach  of  the  enemy,  and  time  was  thus  given  to  save  the  cargoes 
of  other  vessels,  delayed  by  head  winds  in  their  arrival  at  the  White 
House.  The  vessels  burnt  at  Cumberland,  were  destroyed  to  prevent 
their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  whose  near  approach,  to- 
gether with  their  being  abandoned  bj- their  .crews,  prevented  their 
escape  ;  which  was,  also,  the  case  with  the  vessels  sunk  at  Garlick's 
landing.  Those  destroyed  at  the  White  House  were  sunk  in  the  draw 
of  the  bridge.  The  vessels  sunk  and  burnt  at  and  near  Bas  sell's 
landing  and  New  Castle,  were  either  used  successfully  in  obstructing 
the  channel  of  the  Pamunkey  river  above  the  White  House,  or  des- 
troyed to  prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  enemy  reached  these  landings  a  few  hours  after  these  vessels 
were  destroyed.  The  cargoes  of  these  vessels  were  saved  with  the 
exception  of  a  quantity  of  forage  and  some  grain  sacks,  which  it  was 
impossible  to  secure,  because  of  the  retreat  of  our  army  beyond  the 
safe  reach  of  its.transportation.  The  rapid  advance  of  the  enemy, 
the  want  of  labor,  the  desertion  of  crews  and  the  necessity  of  my 
presence  at  different  points  prevented  the  valuation  of  all  these  vessels, 
and  rendered  an  informal  valuation  of  others  necessary.  I  also,  failed 
to  obtain  reliable  information  of  the,  names  of  the  owners  of  these 
vessels,  and  from  the  above  mentioned  causes,  and  from  the  probable 
loss  of  pencilled  memoranda  made  at  the  moment.  I  am  not  confident 
that  all  of  the  vessels  destroyed  by  me  under  the  orders,  during  the 
retreat  from  Yorktown,  are  reported  in  the  above  list. 

(Signed,)  CHAS.  S.  CARRINGTON 

Major  and  Quartermaster. 


pH8.5 


